1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a vehicle headlamp adjuster, and more specifically to a flexible adjuster for headlamps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicular headlights have for many years been mounted on moveable frames to enable periodic adjustment of their position which is apt to change due to vibration, road conditions, and the like. Ideally, the headlights illuminate the road ahead in a suitable manner without focusing directly on oncoming vehicles which could possibly blind the opposing driver.
The headlight frame position has commonly been adjustable, for example, by means of straight screws threadingly engaged with a fixed frame. Upon rotation, the headlight and its frame moves upwardly and/or downwardly, or to the right and left as required. Lately, due to more complex designs and more difficult accessibility, gear box assemblies have been employed. These devices use rotatable input drive members with an output adjusting screw that is either horizontally or angularly oriented with respect to the drive member.
One such example is disclosed and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,469 which is assigned to the Assignee of the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference.
Still another example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,494 which is also assigned to the Assignee of the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference.
A further example of a headlight adjustment assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,759 also assigned to the Assignee of the present invention, and hereby incorporated by reference.
Other examples of gearbox assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,893,219; 5,165,775; 5,398,173; 5,161,877; 5,775,794; 5,833,346; and 5,508,896.
Other patents of interest that describe pivot assemblies for vehicle headlight position adjustment assemblies include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,063,481 and 5,045,987.
There is even more space constraints in the headlamp area of some new models of vehicles. As a result, it has become difficult to employ these prior art headlight adjusters.
There still exists a need for a flexible headlamp adjuster which allows adjustment of a vehicle headlamp position even in difficult to access areas. Preferably, such an adjuster employs a flexible vehicle drive member that is located in an accessible location and still functions to make the necessary adjustments to an adjusting member for positioning the vehicle headlamp.